Goro
Goro is a proud member of the Shokan race of half-humans, half-dragons native to Outworld and a recurring character from the Mortal Kombat franchise. He made his debut in the very first arcade release of 1992's Mortal Kombat, and debuted as a playable fighter through cheat codes in the 1993 Gameboy port. Goro was heavily marketed using the tagline "Goro Lives" in magazines and comic books, which boasted that Goro was impossible to defeat, which combined with his actual in-game difficulty from his high health, high damage and larger than average range, lead to the character becoming one of the better known, remembered and liked characters in the Mortal Kombat series, though he wouldn't return in earnest until Mortal Kombat 4. Original History Mortal Kombat Goro was the half-man, half-dragon 2000 year old Shokan champion working alongside Shang Tsung to represent his people and the people of Outworld as their Champion in the Mortal Kombat tournament. In his first tournament, Goro battled Kung Lao the Elder, a Shaolin Monk legend and last standing defender of the Earthrealm, and killed him, becoming the champion- a title he held on to for another 500 years, a period where the tournament fell into Shang Tsung's hands and became corrupted. In the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament following his victory, Goro faced another Shaolin Monk, the warrior Liu Kang, who was able to match his strength, and overwhelm him, ultimately defeating the Shokan, and earning the right to challenge the sorcerer Shang Tsung himself. Tasting defeat and shame for the first time, Goro braced for death, but was spared by the Shaolin, who allowed Goro to escape alive. Mortal Kombat 4 After the defeat and apparent death of Outworld's Emperor, Shao Kahn, Goro resurfaced, much to the surprise of his people and the defenders of Earthrealm who believed that he was dead. Initially seeking to avenge his defeat at Liu Kang's hands and redeem himself, Goro became distracted by the plights of his people- in the wake of Shao Kahn's death, the Shokan armies had deadlocked themselves into a long lasting war with the Centaurians. Princess Kitana, who was ruling over Edenia, intervened and was able to convince the Shokan and the Centaurians to meet to discuss a peace treaty, however during the treaty's development, the conference was interrupted by the arrival of the Shaolin Monk, Kung Lao, a descendant of the monk killed by Goro 500 years earlier. Kung Lao sought vengeance for his ancestor, and challenged Goro to battle. Despite his much greater size and strength, Goro once again found himself defeated by a Shaolin Monk of Earthrealm, and yet again, was spared from death- instead, Kung Lao left him with a large, ceremonial scar over his chest- a wound that Kung Lao decided held the same ceremonial price as death, and shook hands with Goro, the two parting on friendly terms. When Shinnok's legions were unleashed on Outworld, Goro and the Shokan fought to free Edenia from his control, a task they ultimately succeeded in. With Edenia free, Goro decided to formally become one of Kitana's political allies, and in doing so, signed the peace treaty with the Centaurians, creating a new Edenian Empire. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Goro served alongside Kitana for several years, their combined Edenian and Shokan armies managing to consistently push Shao Kahn's forces back across Outworld. After one such campaign set after the formation of the Deadly Alliance of the sorcerer's Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, Goro was surprised by the increased power of the Deadly Alliance's bolstered forces. While he was able to win the battle once again, he was exhausted by the effort, allowing the ninja assassin Noob Saibot to strike at an opening, mortally wounding him. Princess Kitana would later find the mangled, disfigured corpse of a Shokan warrior with Goro's royal seal in the aftermath of the battle, and believed him to be dead, holding a royal funeral with full honors for her fallen friend. In actuality, the dying Goro was approached by the revived Shao Kahn, who offered to save Goro and raise the Shokan people to the elite of Outworld society while also banishing their ancient Centaurian enemies from Outworld. Goro, reluctantly, agreed to return to Shao Kahn's side, leaving his royal seal on one of his dead soldiers to allow Kitana and the Edenians to believe that he had died. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Goro served alongside Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung to lead Kahn's forces into battle against the current ruler of Outworld, Mileena. Using his great strength, Goro was able to smash down the doors to Mileena's palace, and aided in crushing her defenders- forcing her to surrender and allow Kahn to reclaim his throne. Later, the Demi-God Taven arrived at Shao Kahn's palace to kill Quan Chi, but Goro intercepted him. Taven and Goro fought, but the Shokan was once again defeated- though he claimed that Taven would not be so lucky if they met each other on the battlefield later. During The Battle of Armageddon, Goro fought alongside Shao Kahn and the Forces of Darkness, and was killed in the middle of the battle by an unknown adversary. Altered History Mortal Kombat (2011) In the final moments of The Battle of Armageddon, when only Raiden and Shao Kahn were left standing, Raiden recorded a message of warning and sent it back in time, to the Raiden of the past as he prepared Liu Kang for their entrance for their first Mortal Kombat tournament. The vision showed Raiden glimpses of everything that had occurred in the aftermath of their first victory over Shang Tsung, and warned him that they needed to do things differently to prevent Shao Kahn's ultimate victory; creating a new timeline. In this new timeline, Goro still serves as Shang Tsung's champion in Mortal Kombat and the champion of Outworld who has reigned for 500 years. Liu Kang manages to advance through every challenge before him, ultimately leading to the Shaolin's fight with Goro in the monster's lair. Goro was confident that he would be able to crush yet another Shaolin warrior and allow his Emperor, Shao Kahn, to take final possession of the Earthrealm. Much to his surprise, Liu Kang was able to overcome Goro's great strength and defeated him, leaving the Shokan unconscious while he proceeded onward to defeat Shang Tsung and win the tournament. When Shao Kahn declared a second tournament to take place in Outworld, Liu Kang and his fellow Shaolin Monk, Kung Lao, traveled into enemy territory to find the captured Princess Kitana. During their exploration of Kahn's Tower, the Shaolin ran into Goro and Sheeva on their patrol. Goro, enraged at seeing the only man to defeat him, attempted to challenge Liu Kang once again, but was attacked instead by Kung Lao, who wanted to defeat Goro to avenge the death of his ancestor. Once again Kung Lao defeated Goro, who revealed to the Shaolin that Kitana had been taken to the arena, where she would no doubt be executed, causing Liu Kang to once again knock him unconscious. When Shao Kahn's forces declared all-out war on Earthrealm and began to invade in full force, Goro and his fellow Shokan warrior Kintaro were left to guard human prisoners of war alongside Kano while the Centaurian Motaro lead the armies of Shao Kahn against their champions. They were met by the Lin Kuei ninja, Sub-Zero who had been transformed by his clan into a cyborg. Cyborg Sub-Zero quickly froze the Shokan and Kano, and rescued their prisoners- and when Goro and Kintaro proved strong enough to break through the ice, he remained behind to buy them time to escape. Sub-Zero fought Goro and Kintaro at the same time, but thanks to his enhanced cyborg speed and strength, he defeated them both- leaving them and Kano unconscious, but alive. Mortal Kombat X Unknown, this game has not yet been released. Appearances * Mortal Kombat (1992) * Mortal Kombat II (1993) (Cameo and Mentioned Only) * Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996) * Mortal Kombat 4 (1997) * Mortal Kombat Gold (1999) * Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002) * Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition (2003) * Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004) * Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005) * Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play (2005) * Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition (2006) * Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006) * Mortal Kombat: Unchained (2006) * Mortal Kombat (2011 Game) (2011) * Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (2011) * Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition (2012) * Mortal Kombat X (2015) (DLC) * Mortal Kombat XL (2016) Category:Characters Category:Playable Characters Category:Fighting Category:Bosses Category:Villains